Does Doctor = Success?

Written by Alex Reddy

As a society that praises the successful, we often hear it a lot, “Oh he's a doctor? How nice!” It’s natural for people to be drawn to a successful partner, and it just so happens that in todays era most people are drawn to monetary success. In our current day and age doctors are widely known as the most successful among us all. Many students go through countless hours of schooling and put their best foot forward in order to achieve this title of success. However, aside from the majority of people who believe that money is almost equivalent to success, there are also some don't link success with money. Therefore, if money didn't rank our success, would doctors still be considered successful?

In this Blog I’d like to discuss a few key arguments against the notion that doctors are successful; However, I’d like to follow up my arguments with key reasons why doctors are successful in all ways. This way, as the reader, you can decided whether you believe that doctors are successful or not.

About 18,000 students graduate per year in the United States with a degree in the professional medical field (Association of American Medical Colleges). This number is only a fraction of the original students who began a medical program. Many believe that so many students are unable to follow through with their career goals because they must lack of true devotion to the field, and it’s true. A large portion of these students drop out from the lack of interest in the field they pursue. It’s also true that many students have a goal to become a doctor not because they have a lifelong wish to help people, but more because they have a lifelong wish to get rich. Now this statement alone could cause one to argue, “if it weren't for the money, doctors wouldn't be successful.” However, you'd be happy to know, almost all of these students driven strictly by monetary success drop out of the medical program.

Fortunately, the route to graduate with a doctorate diploma is so rigorous and challenging, only the most passionate students graduate to become a doctor. Therefore, although some people may claim, “Their only in it for the money,” its more likely the doctor genuinely enjoys his/her job. To get through what seems like endless years of schooling, one must be very dedicated and passionate to the position in mind. Along with the rigorous schooling, many of us would agree it would be very difficult to hold all the responsibilities of a doctor without genuinely enjoying it. Overall, it seems to me that majority of the doctors in the medical field hold their position not for the monetary benefits, but because being a doctor is something they have worked for and dreamed about almost all their life. Achieving a long term goal after many years of passionate hard work, this to me sounds a lot like success.

What’s your opinion on doctors? Do you believe most people who become doctors are strictly in it for the money? Or do you believe most doctors have a genuine interest and passion for what they do? Leave your comments below!

Sources:

"Table B-2: Total Graduates by U.S. Medical School, Sex, and Year." Enrollment, Graduates, and MD/PhD Data. Association of American Medical Colleges, n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 201